SOMSD Sued by Group of Local Parents

—- so, if Junior goes to school and brings the virus home to infect Daddy, does Keri get to sue the Board for not taking proper precautionary steps by opening the school?

the_18th_letter said:

sprout said:

FWIW: The intention is the teach the regular curriculum. The teachers give live lectures online, the students can ask teachers questions in real time, and the teacher sets up 'breakout rooms' for things like partner projects during class. The kids submit classwork/homework electronically, and also take assessments electronically.

 I'm quite sure the intentions were noble but the actual execution seems to be less than desirable or effective. Again I have no first hand experience just the discussions I've had with friends who have school age children. 

It probably depends on the course, the teacher, and the student. (I indicated on another thread: For my middle and high schooler, the virtual school experience has been going quite well. But I expect it would not have gone as well if they were in elementary school.)

Also, last Spring was a different story, as it was implemented on-the-fly. But since this Fall, the teachers and the electronic systems seemed much better prepared for this virtual delivery.

Virtual has worked well for our freshman.  I think the people who are unhappy are the loudest.

sprout said:

It probably depends on the course, the teacher, and the student. (I indicated on another thread: For my middle and high schooler, the virtual school experience has been going quite well. But I expect it would not have gone as well if they were in elementary school.)

Also, last Spring was a different story, as it was implemented on-the-fly. But since this Fall, the teachers and the electronic systems seemed much better prepared for this virtual delivery.

 It could absolutely be circumstances. The reference I have is 2 working outside the home parents with 4th graders. I guess considering that its worked well for nearly all others they just got the short straw so to speak. 

Jaytee said:

yahooyahoo said:

The quick answer is yes, she has a student(s) in the district.

 Is OLS private school part of the SOMSD?

OLS is a private Catholic school, K-8th grade.

yahooyahoo said:

OLS is a private Catholic school, K-8th grade.

 How many kids from OLS go on to Columbia? There’s a reason I’m asking this. 

Some kids from OLS go to CHS, and some go to private high schools, Catholic or otherwise.

Just chiming in here to rant about the stupid **** parents who want the schools to open. Screw the teachers, we want our kids out of the house, I mean in class.

I delivered quarantine support food today in Newark. I had two different women who are teachers and now isolating as they hope to ride out a COVID infection. Both made the comment unbidden by me and both of these women had to have been 50+. You don't stick around for long conversations in weather like this so I just checked up on their medical status and left. They probably teach in a charter/private/parochial or something school.

School staff members are getting it. Kids might be getting it but no one notices they may not ever get tested yet pass it on to others. I just cannot take it from these **** selfish, inconsiderate ****.

Jaytee said:

yahooyahoo said:

OLS is a private Catholic school, K-8th grade.

 How many kids from OLS go on to Columbia? There’s a reason I’m asking this. 

It looks like there were about 30 kids in the Class of 2020.  My guess is the majority go on to CHS.

nohero said:

 "The suit was filed by Keri Avellini, an attorney based in East Orange, who is also the wife of the lead plaintiff."  So I assume the answer is "Yes", although as the "wife of the lead plaintiff", suing on behalf of (her) minor children, she is effectively a plaintiff representing herself.

 Perhaps she lives in the district, but her office is in East Orange.

I don’t doubt that Keri Avellini is a district parent, per the OP, but neither do I see why it matters where the lawyer who filed the suit is from at all.

bikefixed said:

Just chiming in here to rant about the stupid **** parents who want the schools to open. Screw the teachers, we want our kids out of the house, I mean in class.

Most of the plaintiffs make strong cases for the harm to their children. I’m with you on policy, but I wouldn’t say these parents just want the kids out of the house.

That said, I can recognize a well-motivated rant when I see one.

DaveSchmidt said:

bikefixed said:

Just chiming in here to rant about the stupid **** parents who want the schools to open. Screw the teachers, we want our kids out of the house, I mean in class.

Most of the plaintiffs make strong cases for the harm to their children. I’m with you on policy, but I wouldn’t say these parents just want the kids out of the house.

That said, I can recognize a well-motivated rant when I see one.

 A Complaint alone doesn't make a strong case. Maybe they have strong cases maybe they don't.  I would not count on one or the other side's pleadings in a lawsuit to give you a complete and accurate picture of the facts.  

It seems to me that this lawsuit will cause the school district to spend money on lawyers that would be better spent on school building upgrades. The best way to reopen the schools is to make the buildings safe for everyone. 

bub said:

A Complaint alone doesn't make a strong case. Maybe they have strong cases maybe they don't. I would not count on one or the other side's pleadings in a lawsuit to give you a complete and accurate picture of the facts.

Sorry, poor word choice. I didn’t mean a strong legal case. I meant detailed accounts of what the children are going through, which sounded credible to me.

They lost me when they claimed that their issues arise from the fact that they can't supervise their children.  It's tough on everyone - particularly those with young children or children with special needs.  This is a really largely a demand for childcare; a demand that does not support a constitutional claim.  Were the suit solely about children with special needs, that would be a different animal (and properly brought under the IDEA).  Even then, the suit would almost certainly fail.

DaveSchmidt said:

bub said:

A Complaint alone doesn't make a strong case. Maybe they have strong cases maybe they don't. I would not count on one or the other side's pleadings in a lawsuit to give you a complete and accurate picture of the facts.

Sorry, poor word choice. I didn’t mean a strong legal case. I meant detailed accounts of what the children are going through, which sounded credible to me.

 I don't think that anyone can dispute the parents' concerns about children with special needs, which needs aren't being addressed.  But the remedy requested, for the other children described and for the district as a whole, is out-of-proportion to those claims.

nohero said:

 I don't think that anyone can dispute the parents' concerns about children with special needs, which needs aren't being addressed.  But the remedy requested, for the other children described and for the district as a whole, is out-of-proportion to those claims.

I only disagreed with the idea that these parents just want their kids out of the house.

DaveSchmidt said:

I don’t doubt that Keri Avellini is a district parent, per the OP, but neither do I see why it matters where the lawyer who filed the suit is from at all.

I was just stating where her office is located.

yahooyahoo said:

I was just stating where her office is located.

If there's a way that "the wife of the lead plaintiff" can be anything other than a district parent, too, I missed it.